Edward Kenway and the Jackdaw vs Connor Kenway and the Aquila
by thisstorywillsuck
Summary: A powerful ship has torn through the Caribbean, hunting down pirate ships by the dozen. Edward Kenway learns of the danger and mobilizes his Jackdaw to hunt down and destroy the Aquila.


"To cover!" Edward ordered as another chain shot ripped through the Jackdaw.

"Edward!" Adéwalé yelled over the carnage. "We have to retreat! They have better range and firepower, but we can still out run them."

"Are you daft, Adé?" Edward asked his quartermaster. "This fight isn't over! We can outmaneuver them. Fire the mortars!"

The mortar shot sailed through the warm Caribbean air and landed on the deck of the Aquila. Edward had never faced such an advanced ship. The high-powered cannons aboard the Aquila had already done a great deal of damage to the Jackdaw. Edward knew that another direct barrage would send his ship to the bottom of the sea.

Edward swung the wheel left, keeping ahead of the Aquila and out of the range of its broadside cannons. Another chain shot from the Aquila connected with the stern, and Adé had to grab onto Edward's shoulder to prevent his Captain from losing his balance.

"He's staying close on our tail," Adé said, pointing at the enemy ship. "He isn't going to let us get our own cannons around. Their captain is too smart for that."

"Everybody makes a mistake, Adé. Sooner or later, he'll slip. Then we finish them. Release the fire barrels!"

"There are no more barrels, Edward! And we are low on mortar shot! We cannot continue this fight. It is only a matter of time before those chain shots tear down our mast!"

"We are NOT retreating!" Edward shouted, glaring at Adé. "Not one more pirate ship will be lost to that monster. We will hold our-"

"Captain, look out!" the man in the crow's nest shouted.

Edward swung his head around but it was too late. The captain of the Aquila had performed a daring, lightning-quick tack and the broadside cannons were now aimed at the Jackdaw.

"Everybody down!" Edward yelled, hitting the deck.

The barrage shredded the Jackdaw. Edward's ears rang as splinters showered him. The captain lifted his head to observe the damage. The blast had killed or injured several crew members. Many of the surviving pirates rolled in pain on the deck of the Jackdaw.

Edward forced himself to his feet only to find that Adé could not. His quartermaster lay dead beside him, mutilated by cannon fire.

"Captain!" another pirate called. "We're taking on water! What are your orders?"

Edward studied the Aquila as the enemy ship positioned itself for another attack. With his teeth gritted, Edward looked back at Adé's corpse.

"Damnation," Edward muttered to himself as he spun the wheel.

"That mast won't be up for long," Robert Faulkner told his captain with a laugh. "Them pirates put up one hell of a fight, but we've got them."

Connor Kenway ignored his first mate, focusing on the trajectory of the Jackdaw. The pirate ship hooked right and sailed towards a nearby island.

"The hell are they doing?" Faulkner asked.

"They are setting sail for that cove," Connor said.

"They hope to escape to land?"

"Or ambush us. Either way, we are going after them."

As damaged as it was, the Jackdaw tore through the clear, turquoise water with surprising speed. Before the Aquila could close the distance, the pirate ship reached its target. The island was small and overrun with jungle. A narrow inlet cut into the center of the island, and the Jackdaw soared straight for it.

The Aquila, a larger ship, followed at half sail. Connor navigated the rocky inlet cautiously. Up ahead, he could see a small cove. Connor called for the rest of the sails to be unfurled, and the Aquila pressed forward. The crew armed the cannons. At last, the ship roared into the cove.

Every man aboard the Aquila fell silent when they saw that the cove was empty. Ahead of them was nothing but water. Suddenly, Connor heard a distant voice yell, "Fire!"

Cannon fire tore through the Aquila's stern. The impact knocked Connor to the floor. The Native American struggled to regain his footing and find his enemy. The Jackdaw was behind them. Edward knew the cove well, and had led the Aquila into a trap. Upon entering the cove, the Jackdaw had thrown its anchor off the starboard side, allowing the agile ship to swing around the corner of the inlet. There, it had waited to ambush its enemy.

The almost direct impact from the cannons had been devastating. The crew of the Aquila was still reeling from the destruction when hooks began to land on her starboard side. The pirates were boarding the ship.

Connor mobilized his crew as the pirates appeared on deck. He had more men, but the pirates had more experience in hand to hand combat. Connor hooked a sword to his belt and readied his tomahawk. The survival of the crew was in his hands.

Suddenly, he noticed a shadow moving across the masts of the Jackdaw. The Native American covered his eyes and saw a man navigating the ship lines with the grace of a cat. The quick-footed man leapt from the Jackdaw's mast and landed in the crow's nest of the Aquila. The two spotters leapt back, startled by the man who had seemingly fallen out of the sky. They attempted to fight him off with their bayonets, but he drew a pair of swords and engaged them.

Connor leapt from the cockpit and landed amidst the splinters and bloodstains on deck. He ran to the mast and wrapped his fingers around the halyard. Once he had a grip on the line leading up the mast, he drew his pistol and shot the thick, cleated rope at the base. The rope tugged free, and the Native American sailed to the top of the mast.

On his way up, he saw one of the spotters fly past him, falling from above. Connor released the rope and landed in the cockpit just in time to see Edward drive his swords through the other spotter.

"Ah, the Captain of the Aquila," Edward said, pushing aside his blonde hair as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "Have you come to surrender your sword?"

"You'll have my sword," Connor replied, drawing his weapons. "But not through surrender."

"Glad to hear it." Edward spun his blades and they flashed under the Caribbean sun. "You've killed enough of my brothers already. There's no telling what my men would do to you if we took you alive."

"Just another pirate," Connor spat. "Claiming to fight for honor when all he wants is gold."

Edward pointed one of his swords at his opponent. "Watch your tongue, shitbird. Or I'll make you eat it."

Edward studied Connor's face. The Native American's eyes were locked on the sword, but there was no fear in his eyes. He was merely observing how much reach Edward's weapon had. Once he had seen everything he needed to learn, Connor sprung.

The captain of the Aquila swiped away Edward's sword with his own, and leapt forward with his tomahawk. Edward lunged to the side, but didn't have long to rest. Connor's attacks were strong, fast, and above all else relentless. Edward found himself on the defensive, trying to keep the powerful warrior at bay.

The crow's nest left them little room to maneuver. The wooden pole of the mast stuck through the center of their battlefield, and Connor forced Edward to backpedal around it as he warded off slice after slice of the tomahawk.

Edward noticed Connor's footing falter, and he pressed the advantage. The pirate lunged forward, driving a shoulder into his opponent. Connor swung his own tomahawk into the mast to save himself from falling to the ground. The Native American used his own weapon to get his feet under him and plucked it from the wall, sending splinters flying.

Edward swung down with both his swords, hoping to take advantage of his opponent's vulnerability. At the last second, Connor brought up his weapons in time to block the blades that aimed for his head. With the pirate's torso exposed, Connor threw a powerful kick forward.

The kick took the breath from Edward's lungs and sent him staggering backwards towards the edge of the crow's nest. The Welshman came to a stop just as his heels peeked over the edge of the vantage point. He flailed his arms, desperately trying to regain his balance and save him from falling to the battle below. But it was too late. He felt the ground beneath his feet slipping away.

Just before he fell backwards, Edward bent his knees and leapt away from the crow's nest. He spun his body around as he flew into open air. His powerful leap carried him away from Connor and towards the Aguila's main sail. As he reached the sail, he drove both of his swords into the thick fabric. His blades sliced through the sail and slowed his descent.

Edward landed on the deck of the Aguila and surveyed the battle. Despite their initial surprise, the pirates were on the defensive. Connor's men had surged from below deck and driven off the attackers. The crew of the Aguila had already cut some of the ropes that bound the two ships together. More pirates could not climb over from the Jackdaw.

"Captain!" a pirate yelled as he limped towards Edward. "The bastards have sliced the lines. They're cutting off our reinforcements!"

Edward looked up and saw the Aguila's tattered sails fill with wind.

"Damn!" Edward cursed. "They're trying to flee! As soon as they cut the last of the ropes binding our ships, they'll escape the cove."

"Captain! If we can't get reinforcements, we don't have enough men to take this ship!"

"We can't let them escape!" Edward bellowed. "Not after everything these bastards have done! They killed Adé!"

"And they'll kill us too if we stay here!" the pirate yelled back.

Edward watched his men fight for their lives. With every second, more were lost. He checked the crow's nest, searching for the captain. He was nowhere to be found. Faced with a battle against overwhelming numbers and an incredibly dangerous swordsman, the pirate captain relented.

"Full retreat!" Edward yelled. "Over the sides or back across the lines! Any way you can!"

The pirates happily followed the order and began to escape to the safety of the Jackdaw. Edward grabbed a line on the starboard side of the Aquila and used it to swing back to his flagship. As he landed, the last lines binding the ships were cut. The Aquila sprung free from its restraints. The massive ship began to turn around, preparing to make its escape back to the open sea.

"Don't worry, Adé," Edward whispered. "He's not getting away that easy."

With that, the pirate leapt from his ship and swam for the jungle. Once he reached the sand, Edward sprinted through the thick terrain, making his way toward the inlet.

Connor retook his position at the helm and forced his ship back out through the inlet. The wind was less favorable on the way out of the cove, and his ship crawled along at an agonizingly slow pace.

"I don't think they intend to follow us, Captain," Faulkner said as he watched the stern of the ship.

"It doesn't matter," Connor said. "We made a mistake following them in here. We have to put as much distance between us and these pirates as we can."

Finally, the figurehead at the bow of the Aquila poked out of the inlet and into the sea. Connor had just breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed a familiar figure standing at the edge of a cliff on their port side. Edward Kenway had returned.

Before Connor could shout a warning, Edward leapt from the cliff. He landed on two of Connor's men and drove a sword into each of them. Leaving his blades sticking out of his victims like flags, he drew a pair of pistols from his side and opened fire. Once he had emptied the firearms, he dropped them and, in a single, fluid motion, produced another pair of pistols and killed another two men.

Faulkner aimed a musket at the pirate. Just before he pulled the trigger, Connor grabbed the barrel of the rifle and pushed it downward. Wordlessly, the captain walked towards Edward, drawing his sword and tomahawk.

Edward pulled his swords from the corpses. The crew of the Aquila stood their ground, intimidated by the pirate's skill. Connor pushed his crew aside and faced the pirate.

"Oh, good," Edward grinned. "I thought I wouldn't have a chance to say goodbye."

Connor lunged forward. His tomahawk whistled as it sliced through the air. Edward darted out of the way and peppered Connor with quick jabs from his swords. Edward was grateful to be out of the crow's nest. On the deck of the Aquila, he had more space to dodge attacks. Connor was the stronger fighter, so Edward would have to rely on his agility.

Unfortunately for Edward, he soon found that Connor was quick on his feet as well. He almost learned this the hard way when the Native American rolled out of the way of an attack and attempted to stab at Edward's ankle.

Edward's legs fatigued from running through the jungle, but his opponent pressed on. Connor fought like a tireless machine, leaping, slashing, spinning, and cutting. At last, Edward misstepped. The Native American seized the opportunity and slashed his sword across the pirate's chest. Connor's crew cheered when their captain landed the blow.

Connor pressed the attack, giving Edward no time to dwell on the pain. The Welshman grimaced and tried to ignore the wound. Before long, however, the pain proved too much. Connor slammed both his weapons against the sword in Edward's right hand, and the pirate felt the blade slip from his fingers. Connor leapt into the air and drew his arm back, prepared to bring his tomahawk down on his injured opponent.

Just before the axe reached his skull, Edward threw himself to the ground. As he fell backwards, he drove his sword up. Edward heard a sickening crunch and felt warm blood rain down on him.

Connor leaned above him, skewered by Edward's remaining sword. The pirate shoved the sword to the side and let his opponent hit the ground. Edward got to one knee and listened to Connor struggle for air.

"You won't leave this ship alive," Connor gasped as blood began to pour from his mouth.

"Probably not," Edward muttered. "But you'll have to forgive an old pirate. You killed a good friend of mine. I couldn't just let you leave after that. It was a matter of honor."

"A pirate who fights for honor?"

"Imagine that," Edward said.

Connor's labored breath finally came to a stop. Edward turned to face the surviving crew of the Aquila. A dozen men aimed muskets at him.

The injured pirate forced himself to his feet and faced his firing squad.


End file.
